Herder's 2014 Log: All About the XPC Semi's

herderdude said:
Also, all of the low bar squatting is killing my elbows. Gonna hit up my hand band and give my shoulders the full workup before the rest of my squat sessions.
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I have to have a high bar because low bar just kills my shoulders & elbows. I'm a freakin olympic squatter dressed as a PL'er.
 
Alright, so here's the peaking plan:

Pulls:

455 for two doubles tonight. Work 6" block pulls at like 405 just to work on firing my hips in. Next week I'll pull 405 for three triples, just being explosive. Block pulls again. 7 days out I'll be working up to like 365, take that for a couple singles and be done. I'm really babying the pulls.

Squats:

Friday is HEAVY heavy. 515 for a double, 545 for a single, 600 with reverse lights. GMs and Oly Squats light and GTFO. Next Friday is up to 525 for a double, light GMs and leave. Week after is basically my warmup routine and mobility and leave.

Bench:
Work up to a max double @RPE 9 tomorrow, one stone cold lead pipe lock single heavier than that, reactive slingshot my dream third, one negative with that same weight. 100 reps of curls and some flyes and leave. Next week is opener for two singles and gone. Meet week is work up to last warmup, mobility and get out.

That was all synthesized from BLilly's peaking video, 10/20/Life, and how I'm feeling. Squat will go well thanks to Power Belly Gear, bench will depend heavily on how I can make my arms feel after squatting, and deadlift will be 96% balls and attitude and 7% smoke and mirrors.

Current opener plan 515/335/455. I think all three of those will give me and opportunity to make good jumps to smooth seconds and makeable thirds. Worst case scenario, grab a meet PR on squat and don't bomb. Best case, grab PRs on squat, bench, and total.

I don't think this is the 1500 meet, but I won't turn it away if it comes knocking.
 
rob112 said:
That peak video is pretty cool. I almost missed it.
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I'm glad he's coming out with the videos again. I like gathering a bunch of ideas from a bunch of people and trying to find ways to incorporate it into my training.
 
herderdude said:
I'm glad he's coming out with the videos again. I like gathering a bunch of ideas from a bunch of people and trying to find ways to incorporate it into my training.
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I am too. Glad his spirits are up.

There is so much good info out there it is ridiculous!
 
So I didn't pull today. Tuesday I will pull. Was still feeling a little sore in the ass and hams from RAWW squats and Ukranian deadlifts on Friday, and still worn down after a full day of work. I'm feeling better every day, though. It's giving me a lot of perspective on how much I was struggling this time last week, that's for sure.
 
aceroni said:
What?!
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It was in a Chris Duffin video where he talks about glute activation (and bashes Bret Contreras indirectly, a popular pastime of world record holding powerlifters, it seems).

The Ukranian "Stallion" is where you deadlift with a miniband around your waist, pulling back. It wants to pull you over backwards, so you drive the hips early and hard. I am starting to think this is my issue recently with deadlifts. I'm driving the hips very late. Some video I took of my deload session showed that my glutes have indeed grown, so if I can get them to work, I could salvage a nice meet.
 
That sounds interesting. Have you ever tried bands pulling the bar away from you? At first I thought they'd be similar, but now i'm thinking these are more for lat tightness
 
aceroni said:
That sounds interesting. Have you ever tried bands pulling the bar away from you? At first I thought they'd be similar, but now i'm thinking these are more for lat tightness
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Yeah, that sounds like lat tightness/bar drift to me. I've never tried it, I've only had the bar drift on me maybe once in all of my training. I can think of a friend who could use that. I'd probably use a micro mini for something like that. Really, learning how to "squeeze oranges in your armpits" or "bend the bar around your legs" is going to be much better for that than a band pulling the bar away. Or even a snatch grip pull.

But a snatch grip pull with a micro mini pulling the bar down and away at a 45 degree angle? That might be the sickest lat exercise ever thought of.
 
herderdude said:
Yeah, that sounds like lat tightness/bar drift to me. I've never tried it, I've only had the bar drift on me maybe once in all of my training. I can think of a friend who could use that. I'd probably use a micro mini for something like that. Really, learning how to "squeeze oranges in your armpits" or "bend the bar around your legs" is going to be much better for that than a band pulling the bar away. Or even a snatch grip pull.

But a snatch grip pull with a micro mini pulling the bar down and away at a 45 degree angle? That might be the sickest lat exercise ever thought of.
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Yeah I should probably implement them as sometimes I get lazy /forget to squeeze oranges with my armpits
 
5/5

A good day.

Started off benching to a big double, taking a big single, slingshotting a single, and then taking a heavy negative.

325x2
350x1 GOOD
365x1 reactive
375x1 negative

Then was showing Lamonster the Stallions. I was feeling good and fixed the timing, so I went for it. 455 for a single in my weightlifting shoes, 480 for a single in my chucks. My faith is restored. Now I just have to put it all together.

Bench
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Deadlift
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herderdude said:
5/5 A good day. Started off benching to a big double, taking a big single, slingshotting a single, and then taking a heavy negative. 325x2 350x1 GOOD 365x1 reactive 375x1 negative Then was showing Lamonster the Stallions. I was feeling good and fixed the timing, so I went for it. 455 for a single in my weightlifting shoes, 480 for a single in my chucks. My faith is restored. Now I just have to put it all together. Bench Invalid Link Removed Deadlift Invalid Link Removed
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Strong lifts man. Impressive
 
capo180 said:
Sick pull man! Looked fast. Bench looked good too man, nice flare on the way up.
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Yeah, I'm still working on getting a good flare without losing my scaps. I'm looking at the tape from earlier in the training cycle, I was moving 335 much better previous, so I'll know by my opener whether 350 will be my second attempt or my third. I'm dropping the opener all the way to 325, that will be nice and easy and give me room to make two good jumps.
 
Glad things are moving well for you Justin!
 
Speed Bench with Axle Bar

Bar weight unknown, likely between 20-35lbs
2 plates x6x3 (three grips)
3 plates x2 SPEEDY

Saw some video from last training cycle and also Jeremy Hoornstra's RUM documentary from Animal (not gonna compare myself to him, he's not human), so I let the bar sink into my chest. That makes life so much easier, and it will give me the bench I need in two weeks.

DB Chest Press off Swiss Ball
slow concentric and eccentric, pause top and bottom, no momentum

70x3x40 seconds

Rear Delt Destroyer x1

Lateral Raise Swings/Lateral Raise x1

Facepulls
70x3x10

DB Rows (again, no momentum)
115x3x8

Curls
3x40 seconds

Holy pump, Batman! Whole session lasted 45min. Listening to Brian Carroll and Dave Tate about assistance is gonna change the game for me, I know it. After the meet, I'm going to go back on the 18 months of training log data I have and optimize my assistance.

It's time to move away from a 350-360 bench and low to mid 500s pull. It was cool and novel in 2013, but I want more. I have my eyes on bigger things, and I WILL make them happen. This meet is going to be a step in the right direction, but then it's time to take it all to the next level. I'll get some vids of the speediness up in a few.
 
Here are the vids:

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Didn't keep my legs tight on the way down, that needs to be monitored.

Tomorrow is BIG squats. 515x1, 545x1, 605x1 with reverse lights. Yeah buddy. I'll definitely get video of these. I am one trillion percent confident with my squats, you guys will finally get to see why tomorrow night.
 
Awesome job!
 
herderdude said:
It's time to move away from a 350-360 bench and low to mid 500s pull. It was cool and novel in 2013, but I want more. I have my eyes on bigger things, and I WILL make them happen.
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Yes sir. Keep working hard, Justin. There is no finish-line.
 
I've found that, for me at least, doing moderate weight assistance work (10-15 reps) has given me better results on the ME than going heavy. I'll go heavier on my speed days since I have more gas in the tank, but that's only every third week. I wouldn't say that I even deload anymore as I have a 2:1 of heavy:speed and use the speed day as my deload.
 
Sean1332 said:
Lookin goooooood

How do you plan on changing up assistance?
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Just gonna find the best supplemental moves to use for me, and then pay a little more close attention to what I'm going to do for single-joint assistance. Not going to just blast out reps quickly and explosively, get better TUT and pump from my single-joint stuff.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, I'm going to have a plan. From what I do when I walk in the door all the way through to the end. I think my lack of organization has hurt me a bit in that regard. I keep falling back on the easy stuff, instead of the stuff that's hard or that I hate.
 
I completely agree with you on the plan. Even though this has been the greatest my shoulders felt, having had taken them completely off for a whole month, my upper days are becoming redundant and highly in unmotivating because I don't have a plan.

I look forward to this 605.
 
Sean1332 said:
I completely agree with you on the plan. Even though this has been the greatest my shoulders felt, having had taken them completely off for a whole month, my upper days are becoming redundant and highly in unmotivating because I don't have a plan.

I look forward to this 605.
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Right!? I could probably rattle off something that looks exactly like most of my training just because it's so easy to settle into a comfort zone. And then I don't realize until I'm updating that I forgot this and that thing, and it's not good enough.

I'm so ready to take it for a ride.
 
With the bar sinking, just don't become a heave bencher with your head off the bench slamming it down to heave the bar back up....
 
NomZ said:
With the bar sinking, just don't become a heave bencher with your head off the bench slamming it down to heave the bar back up....
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I have re-developed the HORRIBLE habit of having my head off of the bench, but I have tried heaving and I absolutely suck at it. I just like the sink as it takes some strain off of the front side and loads the lats a little more. I think it will give me more off the chest.
 
BRB was an understatement. I didn't realize it was an hour plus. Great great video though. Definitely a different approach. Gets the gears in the old brain turning for sure.
 
herderdude said:
I have re-developed the HORRIBLE habit of having my head off of the bench, but I have tried heaving and I absolutely suck at it. I just like the sink as it takes some strain off of the front side and loads the lats a little more. I think it will give me more off the chest.
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I do the same thing with my head. Lucky I didn't get red lighted at my last meet because of it.
 
I didn't know that having your head off the bench was something bad? I see geared lifters on YouTube doing it all the time.. It's not something that I do btw.
 
capo180 said:
I didn't know that having your head off the bench was something bad? I see geared lifters on YouTube doing it all the time.. It's not something that I do btw.
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Well, the equipment will pull your head off the bench, so it's very different.
 
HEAVY Squats!

Work up work up

445x1
475x1
515x1
565x1 PR moved well
Reverse bands (25 from bottom)
605x0

Didn't screw my feet in hard enough on the 605, didn't get tight enough on it. Band setup wasn't good enough, almost like nothing was helping. It's alright, just something I need to cue before I try my 3rd.

Stone over shoulder (one motion)
215x4

Farmers
175x6x50 feets

And done. Good session, everything feels right on, we're ready boys! I have the 515, have to wait for Lamonster to upload 565.

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Sean1332 said:
Smooth 515 bud
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Thanks bud. Waiting for Lamonster for 565. Similarly smooth. These wraps are good for so much poundage, all I have to do is stay fully engaged and in good position on the descent and the weight will return to lockout.
 
Well, rest assured I have a 565 squat on youtube, but I can't get the link to translate... so there.
 
Sean1332 said:
Nicccce. Can you wrap them solo?
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Yeah, I actually prefer to wrap them solo, as they can make your knees unable to bend if they get wrapped too tight. But you could easily make them work and they're RPS legal.
 
Holy balls. Today has been a day of laying around and recovering to the max.
 
CountryLiftin said:
Same. Squatting for the first time in almost 2 months. DOMzzzz
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I'm pretty sore, but more than that, I am just worn down from the stress of my still below-average walkouts and then squat attempts with new weights for me.
 
Here's another try at the video of 565. Not happy with my depth, but oh well.

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